Why does digital marketing seem so easy for other people but feel so hard to you with Kristen Day of Affinity Media

Today we are chatting about why digital marketing seems so easy for others but feels so hard to you.  We also touched on these subjects:

• I always love to hear origin stories so to get started, tell me about your business and how you got started.
• Ok, let’s start with the basics.  What is digital marketing?
• I know this is an area of expertise for you.  Can you share a few tips on creating a digital space that aligns with your values but doesn’t take up all of your time?
• Why does having an online presence beyond social media is crucial to long-term success?
• Why does the digital marketing side of a business appear to be so easy when it’s done by other people but feel so frustrating when I try to do it?
• What’s the number one mistake people make when they first get started in the digital side of their business? 
• Can you share a few questions to ask when hiring digital service providers to set yourself up for success THE FIRST TIME?
• If I have a very limited budget, how should I prioritize where to invest in digital marketing? In other words, what will be the best bang for my buck?
• What 3 things have helped you grow your business? This could be tools, advice, etc.

READ | You can read the show notes below

WATCH | You can watch the video here

LISTEN | You can listen to the podcast here

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About Kristen Day and where to find her:

Kristen works with “non-techy” business owners who are disheartened, confused, and irritated by trying to figure out how to create a converting online presence. She has helped entrepreneurs in over 20 industries eliminate their frustration and overwhelm by building custom-tailored websites, omni-channel social media strategies, and streamlined processes they can actually use with her “Clear as Day” Formula. 

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Transcripts

SPEAKERS
Jen Vazquez, Kristen Day

Jen Vazquez 00:00
Why does digital marketing seems so easy for other people and yet so hard for us? My guest and I are talking about that and so much more. Welcome back. If you’re new here, I help female entrepreneurs use Pinterest to market their business effectively and simply. And if that sounds like something that you’re interested along with all of the marketing guests that I bring onto the show, definitely subscribe, whether on YouTube or my podcast, so that you’re notified when we release a new interview. Today you guys I am so excited to be chatting with Kristin day of affinity. Kristin works with non techie business owners who are disheartened, confused, irritated or I’ll put in parentheses just plain Matt that that’s that’s for me. Trying to figure out how to create a converting online presence. She has helped entrepreneurs over 20 industries eliminate their frustration and overwhelm by bringing custom tailored websites, Omni channels, social media strategies and streamlined processes that they can actually use with her clear as day formula. By the way, that’s a great name. Welcome, Kristin.

Kristen Day 01:21
Thank you so much, Jen, for having me. I just saw appreciate you letting me chat with you. And I’m looking so forward to this conversation. I love this podcast. It is amazing. And just really appreciate all of the amazing things are helping women do so thank you. i I’m pretty lucky to be able to just chat with friends and and have it go out there and help other people. It’s a passion of mine, to make sure that small business owners actually market their business. We spend so much time on social media and not enough time actually working our business. So it’s a joy for me to alright, I always start with this sort of simple one. But I think it’s so important to find out the windy routes that people take to the business that they’re currently in. So why don’t you tell me about your business and how you got started? Yeah, so my business was named as affinity media and it got started many years before it was actually made. Right. So we moved around a lot when I was straight out of college, my husband and I and each time we moved, I had to get a new job because remote work was just really unheard of at the time. And so we moved from the east coast all the way to the West Coast. And it was a really great adventure. But the first job that I was able to pick up was building an intranet for a bank and I had never touched a website in my life. And this wonderful, amazing woman took a chance on me and said, You know what?

03:01
Was let’s just give it a shot. And so I got to really have on the job training and learn all the ins and outs of building websites. And then we moved again, and I was fortunate enough to be given a job doing social media strategy. And I was hired to do data analytics by just through the nature of the work. I ended up working on a lot of different projects, most of which having to do with like social media ads and email marketing and just every single marketing section of the business. And then finally, right before that ended, I was working in the data analytics space. So when Olympics and Tag Manager and like all those words SEO that you hear, thrown around all the time, I got to do that as well. And so what I noticed about that job was the day that the clients were interacting with that the person who had employed me, and it was really not sitting well with me because what happened a lot of the time was the company would find new clients and they would get them a little bit roped into long contracts to through your contracts. They would promise them the moon and the sun and the grass in between right and then they wouldn’t really be able to deliver or they would it just was not the deliverable didn’t match the expectation. And I got asked a lot by those clients if I could teach them how to run their own stuff. And if I could help them understand what was happening and I really I wanted to do that but I got in trouble for being in that position because I would teach them and then they would learn and then they would get mad so you know that just eventually that’s what didn’t work. out very well for anybody. But ultimately I really wanted to create a space where business ares can have autonomy in their own business in the digital marketing space because it’s a it’s kind of a an industry that holds things a little bit close to the vest and it’s very confusing for people who don’t who aren’t familiar with the language and familiar with the nuances of it. So it just felt better to be in a space where I could teach people and educate them and make them feel comfortable and confident in their own space rather than saying, No, you’re not allowed to learn that you have to pay me to keep it running. Right. So that’s how my business was born. Amazing. Really good.

05:53
Okay, I know that this is an area of expertise for you. Can you share a few tips on creating a digital space that aligns with your values but doesn’t take up all your time? That sounds like a hard thing dissolve.

06:10
And it’s a great question, John. You know, I think the biggest tips I would say are block out time, dedicate the time to think about why you started your business in the first place. If you spend one day of your mind, and you make sure that the things that you’re talking about in your marketing strategy align with why you started a business in the first place. You will stay aligned with your content and you will dedicate that time to making sure you’re on point all time and one tip that I give people when they’re especially if they’re talking about social media strategy. I always ask write down a list of what drives you insane about your industry and so for me, right, it has to do with when people you know they keep that management style. They force people to do that management style with them because they’re afraid to let go of that customer that drives me nuts. I can talk about that for hours and hours and hours.

07:19
So my content when I talk about these topics, it aligns with what I you know, offering and I think that’s a really good tip. So what in your industry just drives you have a wall and what do you want to change? What do you want to talk about? Yeah, exactly.

07:36
And I missed this at the beginning, but can you I’ve had people ask this of me so I want to hear what you have to say. What is digital marketing right we always had that term marketing. And now suddenly we see digital marketing, email marketing that are the that so what is digital marketing?

07:57
Digital Marketing, I would describe it as any on line, touch point that your business has with a potential customer. So digital means online. That is anything from your website, to your social media, to your email marketing to your Pinterest platform, right anywhere online that a customer can encounter you is that would be in the scope of digital marketing and the that’s the digital side and the marketing side is are you does your voice staying true to your values is your brand consistently showing up in the way that you want to write that’s like that marketing side? Any course anytime a potential customer encounters your business online. are they receiving the same messages?

09:03
That’s good. That’s really good. That was one of the best descriptions I’ve heard.

09:10
Why does having an online presence beyond social media? Why is that crucial for long term success for people? Business owners? Yeah, it’s such an important question Jen because we especially new entrepreneurs, I think they think social media is kind of the end all be all and you can just really get out there. I want to go viral. I have to make this look beautiful. All these things are all those things. And social media isn’t important but for the longevity of our business. Understanding that social media is the place where people are getting acquainted with you.

09:52
And understanding that it’s kind of like I’ve heard this described a lot. I think it’s a good description. It’s kind of a doormat for Steve.

10:03
You know, and if you never went on a second date, you’d never see that person again. Right? We should kind of think of social media as the first date. We should think of it as a place where people first encounter us and for having a a longer term relationship with that person. We need to build out foundational material on the back end of social media including email lists, and ads and websites and especially any type of CRMs anything like that. I would agree wholeheartedly.

10:39
So the big question that we started this whole thing off with Why does digital marketing or the digital marketing side of business appear to be so easy when it’s done by other people, but feels so frustrating when we are doing it? Do you even have an answer?

10:57
I do have an answer. Okay.

11:01
It is a hard one and I think I think people in the digital marketing space sometimes they can even be a little narrow minded when it comes to this as well.

11:14
My experience with every single aspect of digital marketing gives me a little bit of a unique perspective on being able to answer this question. So I told you already websites marketing funnels and email marketing and social media. So we’ve all seen the wheel of content or the wheel of marketing, where customer enters social media and the next step is they go to your website and then they get the freebie and they get you know all these things and then the client journey through that that wheel right.

11:52
So the reason that we feel like digital marketing should be easy but it feels so complicated is we only see that wheel all the time. We’re only shown one very simple wheel. No one ever shows us the insanely complicated math of how to make that real charm. They don’t show you the integration on the back end. They don’t show you how to connect your website to your social media to your email list. They don’t show you how to even set up an automation sequence to deliver your free resource to your clients. And so we kind of get in this trap of kind of everyone makes us look so easy. There’s a real Am I dumb Am I stupid? Am I just can I just am I just not good? At this? That’s absolutely not true. You just have not been experienced in the map that makes a real turn. And so I think it’s it really does entrepreneurs a very large disservice to expect them to know all of these things. And to say, just offer a free resource and it’ll be fine. But then what do I do with it? How do I how do I not spend every hour just delivering free stuff? I agree with you. I agree. I agree and figuring out a system, not just a marketing system that everyone else is using but a marketing system that works for you and your business and they hire everybody.

13:40
Yeah, and that works like with your learning style and it is it is.

13:46
It is unfortunate that we expect people to know so much with so little transparency about what it takes to get it to go and that’s why I call the digital I call it a digital ecosystem like that. Really I think that describes it better. Because if you think of an ecosystem, you know, these little baby components make all the difference for that ecosystem to flourish and thrive and your digital marketing is the same you just you’re not you just don’t see it right because you’re not well and if it’s done properly, the client will never see the nurse like behind the curtain right and Wizard of Oz. I totally agree. So what do you think is one of the number one mistakes that people make when they first get started? on the digital side of their business?

14:43
I personally think that the biggest mistake people make when they’re first starting is investing in the wrong things.

14:53
Allah will Yeah, I can still write with you on that. Because they don’t they don’t know what they need and they’re just trying to get they don’t know what they don’t know how. Exactly, and it’s, it’s really frustrating to watch it happen to be quite frank, because you feel so terrible when they get to you and they explain I had a person just a couple of weeks ago they were telling me this harrowing story of their experience in the digital industry and their digital marketing. And it puts a really bad taste in people’s mouths and it makes it really hard for people to enjoy the digital space, which is a shame because it’s a great space and it’s very fine. But because people make that mistake, when they’re first getting out of the game, they think it’s a waste of money and a waste of time.

15:43
And and it takes work. Like it doesn’t just look you know like I don’t care how many calls to action that says easy, free fast, blah, blah, blah, blah. It’s it’s just going to take work and sadly it’s an intrical component of running a business so that you have a pipeline of leads continuing to come in so often I see people take their foot off that marketing gas, because they’re they’re so busy with client work. And then when they’re done with the client work they’re wondering where all their leads will when you’re not marketing. The it’s the message isn’t getting out there right can you share a few questions to ask when you’re hiring a digital service provider to really set yourself up for success? The first time?

16:39
This is a great question. I’ll share three I think three is a good good number. I love three.

16:48
The first is the first question that you should ask any person that you are going to hire is Do you offer training on the system? That you are building?

17:06
And I think that this is a really great question and it’s not because you don’t want to use that person to help you in the future.

17:18
It is because for whatever reason, you need to use that system yourself.

17:27
You will have a much better relationship with that service provider. If you are not constantly asking them you know later down the road. I just need you to take two minutes to do this one thing or I just need you to do that. Or let’s say you’re going into a situation where God forbid you can’t afford man and trans and if you’re not able to continue working with that person and they have not provided you that training. You really can get into some trouble spots because now you have a full blown system that you have no idea how to use or your team doesn’t know how to use and every team member learns it and leaves we’ve

18:17
been there are four levels. So that all of those things right so ask ask your person when when they’re building a system do you offer training on this? Can it be recorded Can I can look it up.

18:30
And then the second tip that you that I would add to someone is do you use it’s your fault or have you used for this yourself? Because

18:48
sometimes we think because they’re an expert in the industry that as they do this, why don’t know that many people would have even asked.

18:58
That’s a really good one.

19:01
So I build on a lot of different platforms. But I have one that I prefer right because it’s my it is a one that I use personally. So it doesn’t mean that you can’t hire someone.

19:18
But I would encourage you to just simple question will give you a lot of insight into what to expect, so to speak. I agree and the third the third question that I generally would ask is what happens to my data when you go away?

19:41
So most of the time and this is specifically when you are working with web developers, on SEO professionals and as people and I’ll give the example for website developer or as most website developers will set out a program and they own the rights to your code or your a lot of people don’t know that that’s you know.

20:09
So, if you work with a big agency or you work with a large company, you can get into some trouble spots. If they don’t want to manage your website or you don’t want them to manage your website. You have to understand who owns that data and who really has full control. So if someone says well, you’ll read this small print in the contract.

20:33
Because if if someone says well, we’ll know your website by it’ll, it’s under our name or we’re going to erase it where it will buy the domain for you.

20:45
That is a really big red flag to say if you ever wanted to leave that company, maybe maybe you don’t even want to leave that company maybe that company for longer or bankrupt or gets bought.

20:59
You need to understand where were those the ownership of what I am purchasing why.

21:10
That’s really good.

21:13
I have a similar sort of example of that. In my contracts management, business, or agency. I I have I require my clients to have a tailwind or you know, there’s multiple third party platforms. But I have had many clients say Well can you just go ahead and do that the problem and then Bill Me, but the problem is, is that when it’s done, it’s me it’s I own it, it’s in my name and I don’t I don’t want any bad taste in the mouths of people that have worked with me so I always have them do it and yes, you know, I have videos showing them how to like sign up for it and all that kind of stuff. Because I know it can be a pain and when you outsource something, you’re paying money so that you don’t have to go through the headache. However, you have to think miles down the road. as your business grows faster. You want to make sure that you are the main signer, the person that signed up the person that has those passwords and everything. So that is a really, really, really good all those questions are great, but that one is really good as well.

22:25
If if someone has a really limited budget, I’m thinking a first time entrepreneur just jumping into the business.

22:34
How should they prioritize where to invest in digital marketing? In other words, what will be the best sort of bang for their buck?

22:44
up for debate but also in my opinion.

22:48
A lot of people are gonna have opinions on this but definitely you’re the guest you get to have your opinions.

22:54
Yes, I think that if you are on a very, very limited budget, the absolute best bang for your buck. Is professional photography as a professional brand photographer and so excited about that.

23:16
The reason that I say this is because your photography it is to get a really good professional photographer is expensive.

23:31
But it’s not as expensive as doing a full blown website or doing a full blown auto brand or spending 1000s of dollars on ads that you’re not strategized for yet. Right. But what it does do is it gives you a very clean, professional.

23:54
Just like a very, very sleek look.

23:59
And as a 1050 or 20 professional photos can make a free one page templated website look like a million bucks.

24:13
I can’t tell you how much I agree with you on that. I think it’s even twofold. I think number one, it gives the impression of big business right if she’s a professional, polished look, but from all the clients that I work with on my branding photography side, they feel they feel more apt to step into that actual position with confidence boost of having a professional brand shoot, and then you get these pictures delivered. You’re like oh my gosh, that’s me like it really does give me a specially I always tell people if you are having like that crisis that we all kind of had like am I enough? Can I do this? Am I worthy like that sadly happens multiple times pretty much through your entrepreneur business. It’s typically popping up right before a big move or a big change or a big pivot which of course is how we grow our businesses. Right? You feel comfortable, it typically leads to something great.

25:25
But when you do something like this, it really gives you that confidence to show up on social media to show up in marketing. In fact, we want to share these pictures because they’re probably some of the best pictures that we’ve had of ourselves.

25:42
We want to share them, market your business. So I really agree with you and then you know that next step as you get clients to invest in your website, I think is really critical as well. We can make websites all day long.

26:02
But someone who’s a professional sort of website designer, they saying no more things than we are going to know right? As an entrepreneur. We wear all these hats, a CEO and then accountant like all these hats in terms of a website. Let’s give it over to the profession.

26:24
And you know, I just really important, I will not belabor this point. But I actually think that it’s very important to invest in branding, branding, branding, even before the website for the website.

26:39
Yeah, and I say that because I was about to do

26:49
I would say that the websites that before the website is built, they see so

27:03
and plants they really do in a battle results for that person. But if you if you pay a lot of leads and build a website that hasn’t been granted Yeah, and I know you would do this because I feel a website

27:33
it is in their best interest to random person because I have a client who did a whole website and she wasn’t super clear on what she wanted to do very early on in her business. And a year later she had to invest all over again. Web sites are like night and day, the new website after working with a brand specialist.

28:02
It was such a clear path for a client to take that you almost felt bad not what we were not working with. Do you know what I’m saying?

28:14
The original website is just like tonight speak to everyone where websites really will distribute movies on our our ideal clients to put on a website and go that’s me. I agree I Where do I say that? Like that’s

28:37
what three things have helped you grow your business and I always ask this on all my guests, because these are the little tips and tricks that will help people that are listening in or watching the video. This could be tools, advice you got. It could be any education, it could be anything but what three things do you would you attribute as the things that helped you?

29:05
I love this question.

29:10
These are the answers that I want to hear like listening to podcasts

29:16
the number one thing that I would say is

29:27
is a kind of a weird one. I feel like I didn’t hear from a lot of people in the minds of starting out. I have a friend of mine actually told me that and it took two years in my own business or even for anyone to say you need a business coach, I need your business.

29:48
And as soon as I started looking online what I did find and that was an absolute game changer for me.

30:04
It was like an a difference and in fact I I think that how I’m not done that stuff I don’t even know.

30:18
I’m not sure what happened look like it certainly it certainly would have been harder and probably not as effective as that and probably take more time. Why look at coaches, even group coaching if you aren’t in a position to pay for a one on one I’m like Coach, but coaching helps you get real clear real fast on not only the people that you want to work with, but also the niching down that needs to take place that is always super super painful. Because you think I can work with everyone and we can work with everyone. But our marketing leads

31:02
are so good but number one was, so far the best

31:11
and number two I think is it’s okay to

31:20
know that your friends may have other

31:26
friends slash family.

31:29
Friends slash family. Hear that I I’m pretty fortunate but so many business owners aren’t. Yes. And that is really what I would say when your entrepreneurial space

31:49
is a couple of years you’re almost

31:59
everyone

32:02
now is what are you

32:07
getting out

32:12
met the time

32:15
and they didn’t know how to react nearly they just feel like oh, it’s nice

32:29
people don’t know how to react.

32:33
If I understand that even those some people get it and don’t know what to say. Understand like that doesn’t actually ever stop.

32:45
Do people react to things and it’s really important to be in business to help people all off and you just can’t watch other people’s reactions stop you.

33:07
Name it. That’s a really good I don’t know it’s just first That’s how good that 1/3

33:23
What’s something Stanley big bases with I was gonna ask what do you use on a daily basis

33:36
they are game changers I audibly

33:45
authorized third party scheduling with

33:51
a team autonomy

33:55
you know No, do not try. You will you will try to do our

34:02
first starting news that can help you do things in advance. organize yourself posted I really like those because they allow you to like plan out your social media and so instead of thinking oh crap post today, you kind of It’s not done yet. And that is

34:24
something out there. So I use post all the time to

34:34
which scheduling reports where you just try to see if you can write that content for Regency leaving, how much we need to do when you’re not worried about it Facebook and Pinterest have in platform schedulers there. They don’t have the bells and whistles but they also are free.

34:57
Like why not? And if it comes across more well thought out. For instance, it especially if you’re doing posts here, they’re everywhere. You’re kind of turning which way every five seconds. Whereas you do a full week’s worth of posts. You can really have a theme or a story that takes people from through a process and things like that. So I think that’s that’s really good. Hopefully it’s really, really good. Well, before we get to the giving of gifts that Kristen is so generously sharing with everyone today, I’m telling us total history because I often have people sending me messages asking questions and things about services. So I always like to ask them again, at the end of this of the podcast, specifically what’s always going to be the offer so that oh yeah, oh yeah. Oh, yeah. And I need help with that. Then they know like

36:01
I really appreciate it. So I designed and built for you that you can use. I do training on all the things.

36:14
So I do I do fortunately use strategies where we really teach you how to automate those things right.

36:27
How to do marketing follow up. So that automation that we talked about that people don’t tell you about right.

36:36
And you’re doing clients I work with also offers automated messages.

36:44
It’s

36:47
amazing and she’s she is extraordinary at what she does, I highly recommend her put it out there in the atmosphere.

36:58
Kristen has brought us some free tools. So tell everyone what is provided underneath. Of course this information, but do everyone what exactly.

37:13
Page for free to use and it includes a digital systems checklist. If you are wondering

37:27
I have a checklist to understand every single component that you use.

37:33
And I also have

37:41
a photography check

37:46
and it will tell you exactly own toys to get right to go on a

37:54
diner.

37:57
So good. I want to thank you so much for your valuable advice and your favorite today because I know how busy you are for you. What is the best way to get in contact with you in case anyone wants to take this conversation further. I’ll be including lawyers. What’s the best way for them?

38:18
Right now is LinkedIn

38:22
really loving? So you can just search for I will leave LinkedIn, I have your LinkedIn link. So LinkedIn is the best way for me to be able to make that connection with her. Now, this is really important. I always say this and I know it’s at nauseam, but I’m gonna keep saying take the information that you’ve got here. Take one or two things that you’ve heard that you like or that you want to implement, and put some time on your calendar to implement them next week. Or today because I feel like listening to podcasts, I love doing it. But I need to work myself on implementing these great ideas that I hear when I’m on my walk and by the time they get home. I haven’t put it on my calendar to do so definitely go do that. You can find all of Kristen’s information below and I hope everyone has a great day. Thank you Kristen.